Joel Lopez - Ready to Challenge

For a young player with the Lineage of Barcelona to Arsenal, there is a weight of expectation that seeks to dictate the player should rise rapidly through the youth ranks and be impacting on the first team in before they've even fully unpacked their suitcase. For Joel Lopez, his progression has faced an incline that would not behold any fast track to Senior football but a steady journey.

After spending the last two seasons in our U18s team the Spaniard will now step up to the U23s, and whilst some of his development has been difficult to measure from the outside, this will now provide Lopez with a more stern test that will tell us exactly how far he has progressed and how close to Senior football he really is.

What we know about the left back already is that he is very comfortable on the ball with excellent technique. He has good pace and a sense of adventure in his runs on and off the ball. Not too dissimilar to a young Hector Bellerin, what is needed is to work on the defensive side of his game and his physicality. Lopez sees himself as an attacking full back who can support in the attacking phase through crosses into the box or link up play with the wide forwards, Jordi Alba being the model example. 

Joel will take great inspiration from the Spanish contingent around Arsenal with Mister Arteta at the helm but also Hector Bellerin who has become a great example to young players on and off the field. The 18-year old will also want to emulate Nacho Monreal as being a successful Arsenal Left-Back.

Lopez came to the Gunners from La Masia in August 2018 joining as a Scholar, during his first season in the U18s he did enough to earn a professional contract in March 2019. His performances in the first season offered much insight into his potential but also where he would need to develop. This past season the U18s struggled for results, especially in the early part of the season, however Lopez and the team were able to improve upon their form and the former Barcelona product gained a call up to the U23s. His U23s debut did not go as hoped with Arsenal losing 3-0 at Liverpool. It was a learning curve for the Spaniard as he needlessly conceded the free kick for the opening goal, however the experience will certainly aid him in his transition for the coming season.

The club have high hopes Lopez could progress and eventually provide good competition to Kieran Tierney. This season in the U23s will give Joel a platform to take the next step in that Journey. The Spaniard has become somewhat of a forgotten man in some respects, as some thought he would of progressed quicker. Without a global pandemic being around he almost certainly would of played more for the u23s by this point, but now will be the time that people start to take notice of Joel Lopez again.